Education News

All The World’s a Stage…

Education News from Alleyn's | www.alleyns.org.uk

Rebekah Manning, Drama teacher at Alleyn’s Junior School, tells us how our children can benefit from drama at home.

You do not need a performer in the family to enjoy nurturing a love of drama. Children have a natural ability to create and play using their imaginations. The more you engage with this ability the more easily your child will harness the invaluable skills they will gain and use them in social and academic settings. Finding time in our busy lives can be a challenge but even a few minutes playing - and creating happy memories in the process - will benefit your child’s literacy, speaking and listening, problem solving, collaboration, empathy, understanding of the world, confidence, creativity, and concentration.

Stories

Sharing stories together can be bonding time and discussing and exploring them is a great way to explore drama. Role-playing episodes from storybooks is not only fun but can help deepen your child’s understanding of stories and characters. Ask questions like: ‘What do you think will happen next?’, ‘Show me how you think the character walks and talks.’ or ‘Imagine I am Hagrid and you are Harry and I have come to take you to Hogwarts; what do you say to me?’

Create your own story

Your child will love the magic created by making up stories together. Establish characters and a scenario, introduce a problem to overcome and find a resolution - then take it in turns to tell a section of the story. A twist always goes down well! Eye contact and pausing for suspense are powerful, too! Finally, remember that anything goes; there is no right or wrong. Role-play: Make-believe games allow children to improvise both the world around them and a world of their invention. Use whatever stimulus interests your child - anything can be used to create scenarios for you to improvise around. Making them the experts and allowing them to take you on their journey is empowering. Puppets: Playing with puppets or cuddly toys can be a gateway for children to explore and communicate challenging feelings or worries. Perform: Act out stories and poems, whether as a performer or a member of the audience, is great fun. Raid the wardrobe for costumes! Games: Good old fashioned ‘Charades’ or ‘Famous Names out of a Hat’ make great Drama practice. Rhubarb and custard: Re-enacting a scene from a story or play just using the words rhubarb and custard can help develop how we use our voices, physicality, and facial expression to tell a story without relying on dialogue. Mirroring: Taking turns to mirror each other’s slow movements can help physical control and concentration, create a sense of well-being and encourage eye contact. Tongue twisters: Trying to say these is helpful for articulation and pronunciation. The skills children acquire taking part in drama are wide-reaching, so find time to be creative and imaginative with your child, and above all have fun!

Useful Links

www.punchdrunkenrichment.org.uk/project/ourhome-story www.officiallondontheatre.com/family-theatre

Thursdays 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 June: Small Business Huddle

10am-11am on Zoom. Join our weekly warm and supportive online networking gathering. We meet to share our offerings, meet other business owners, connect on a regular basis, find collaborations and cheerlead each other. First Huddle free then only £5/month and includes a free Facebook Group. smallbusinesshuddle.co.uk.

Thursday 2 June – Saturday 4 June: Jubilee Flower Festival

A Jubilee Flower Festival at Christ’s Chapel of God’s Gift at Dulwich. Admission Free. Thursday 2 June: Jubilee Celebration Service at 2pm. The festival is open until 5pm. Friday 3 June 11am – 4pm. Saturday 4 June 11am – 4pm. Organ Performances & short, guided tours at 12 noon & 3pm. Christ’s Chapel of God’s Gift at Dulwich, 14 Gallery Road, London, SE21 7AD.

Friday 3 June: Live Band Karaoke

7pm -11:30pm Belt out classics from Dolly Parton to Metallica, live on stage, backed by a sensational 5-piece band, in front of an electric crowd at Peckham Rye’s historic Ivy House. Pick from around 300 tunes. Lyrics are provided on screen, and our compere will be on stage with you to provide additional support and / or add those critical backing vocals. Doors + signups from 7pm; £6 (adv) / £8 (door, subject to availability). Ivy House, 40 Stuart Road, London SE15 3BE.

https://live-band-karaoke.designmynight.com/

Saturdays 4, 11, 18 & 25 June: Parkruns in Dulwich Park and Peckham Rye Park

9am-10am. Free, weekly timed 5k run, jog or walk. Every Saturday at 9am promptly starting from Queen Mary’s Gate (Dulwich Park) and Colyton Road Entrance (Peckham Rye Park). Register once and bring your printed barcode (can be used at any parkrun across the world). First-timers briefing at 08.50.

www.parkrun.org.uk/dulwich/ www.parkrun.org.uk/peckhamrye/

Saturday 4 June: Brockley Max - 'Oscillations Live'

7:30pm - 11:30pm - An evening of live indie electronic music and synthpop featuring: Rodney Cromwell - Catford’s only exponent of indie pound-shop electronic music, constructing a twisted soundtrack for the post-truth world. www.happyrobots.co.uk Sweet Machine - Original synthpop with a strong 80’s vibe, Depeche Mode meets Pulp! www.sweetmachine.co.uk Mari Dangerfield - Quirkpop of the mind, body and laptop. www.maridangerfield.com FREE ENTRY. Downstairs at The Honor Oak Pub, 1 St. German’s Road, SE23 1RH/

https://bit.ly/3FVQfN1

Sundays 5, 12, 19 & 26 June: The weekly Horniman Market

10am–3pm. The weekly Horniman Market is open to provide food items including fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, cake, meat and street food. Alongside food stalls, you’ll find body care, clothing, jewellery, design and craft; most are locally produced, ethical and many use environmentally friendly materials, natural and organic ingredients. www.horniman.ac.uk.

100 London Road, Forest Hill, SE23 3PQ.

To get your listing here contact: angela@semagazines.co.uk

Sunday 5 June: Open Garden

2.30pm-5.30pm. Owners Ian and Pru Bland are celebrating the 25th time of opening their garden to the public. The garden is about the size of a tennis court, densely planted with many rarer items. The emphasis is on contrasting size, colours and foliage, and has featured in magazines. Charity: NGS Scheme/St Christopher’s Hospice. Teas/Plants for sale. Wheelchair access.

174 Peckham Rye, East Dulwich SE22 9QA

Tuesdays 7, 14, 21 & 28 June: Tuesday Evening Life Drawing Zoom & Drop-in Session

7pm–8.30pm. This is an online drawing & painting session conducted via Zoom and in studio. Long pose life painting and drawing. A single pose held for three hours with 5-minute model breaks every 25 minutes. This class will be run by Freya Tate, a wonderful artist with a sharp eye and a playful line. The session will be life model focused but Freya will introduce chaotic elements to challenge you and move your drawing on to higher levels. The Dulwich Art Group & School.

www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk.

Tuesday 7 June: Honor Oak WI

We meet on the first Tuesday of each month, currently via Zoom, at 7:30pm. twitter.com/honoroakwi www.facebook.com/groups/honoroakwi/

Honoroak_WI

honoroakwi@gmail.com